Oksana Grishina has become a fan favorite over the years. She makes difficult moves look simple and if you dare try one of them you’d likely land on your head. It hasn’t always been roses and victory parties for Oksana. She’s had to “pay her dues” as the saying goes and she’s delivered every step of the way. She tied for 16th in her IFBB Pro debut at the 2007 Dallas Europa. Last year, she did something most never thought was possible. She finished ahead of the most decorated IFBB Fitness Pro in the history books, Adela Garcia, at the Arnold Spain competition. Oksana has established herself as one of the top contenders to this year’s Fitness International title. She joins us in her journey to back to Columbus.

Oksana Grishina â€“ 2013 Fitness International Contender

Hello guys!! My name is Oksana Grishina. Iâ€™m from Kaliningrad, a small city in Russia. I came to the USA 6 years ago to test myself as a Pro Fitness athlete. To get my Pro card I had to win both the European Championship in 2005, and the World Amateur Overall Fitness Championship in 2006. I have been competing as an IFBB Fitness Pro since 2007, and Iâ€™m looking forward to my sixth appearance on the Arnold Classic Stage in Columbus, the 25th Anniversary Arnold Classic show!

Iâ€™m really excited as I prepare my new performance for the Arnold Classic stage. This is a very creative performance. Iâ€™ve been thinking about it for a long time, but I was not ready to take on this character. I am so ready now, and Iâ€™m working hard to make it perfect for the fans. I am spending many hours on gymnastics and dance training, new moves, choreography, music, makeup, and costumes, all in a concerted effort to create something to wow the judges and excite the fans. I want to give everyone something to remember and talk about, good or bad.

People always ask me what placing I expect. Guys, from my experience in fitness, each time you prep a new routine, itâ€™s like starting from scratch, and itâ€™s hard to know how your work will be accepted or judged. All I can say is that I am going to do my best. Any other thoughts get in the way. I choose to compete with a positive attitude. I try not to think about my placing, because it is a distraction from doing my best. I am committed to doing something creative and entertaining. If you love to compete, and you love what youâ€™re doing, will your placing change anything? Do what you love to do with all your heart, and be happy with it. Iâ€™m very thankful for this opportunity to be on stage, to create something, to entertain, and to be appreciated.

When training for a Fitness competition you must prep both your body and your performance. This can be a challenge, but Iâ€™ve found a balance that works for me. I never mix performance training and weight training on the same day. I alternate weight training and performance workout days, training 6 days a week, with two additional cardio sessions each dayâ€”including on my â€œday offâ€.

The gym is my home, and I do all of this because I love it. I focus on doing my best. I want to give the fans something that will surprise them and thrill them. I love fitness, I love to create, and I love to be on stage. So, Iâ€™m already happy.

The Arnold Sports Festival will celebrate it’s 25th Anniversary next year and promises to be bigger than ever. The inaugural Arnold Classic, named for co-promoter and bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, and womenâ€™s bodybuilding contests were held at Veterans Memorial in 1989. Since then the Arnold Sports Festival has become the nation’s largest multi-sport festival.Â The 2013 Arnold Sports Festival will draw 175,000 health and fitness enthusiasts and sports fans to Columbus when it is held Feb. 28-March 3.

COLUMBUS, OHIO â€“ The nationâ€™s largest multi-sport festival, which began in 1989 with 39 male and female bodybuilders, will feature more than 18,000 athletes from 80 nations competing in 45 sports and events â€“ including 12 Olympic sports â€“ when the Arnold Sports Festival celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2013.

The inaugural Arnold Classic, named for co-promoter and bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger, and womenâ€™s bodybuilding contests were held at Veterans Memorial in 1989. Inaugural champion Rich Gaspari will be among the previous winners who will return in 2013 to celebrate its 25th Anniversary.

The 2013 Arnold Sports Festival will draw 175,000 health and fitness enthusiasts and sports fans to Columbus when it is held Feb. 28-March 3. GNC, the nationâ€™s largest specialty retailer of sports nutrition products, returns as the lead sponsor for the 13th straight year.

The Arnold Sports Festival prides itself on bringing new and interesting competitions to the largest multi-sport event in the nation.

New in 2013 is the Scottish Highland Games, which will feature men in kilts performing feats of strength such as the caber toss and hammer throw. The Scottish Highland Games and accompanying Scottish Highland Dance Competition will be held at 10 a.m. on March 3 at Columbus Commons.

Also new will be the Arnold Survival Race, an extreme 5K race at Lou Berliner Park on March 2, K-1 (professional kick boxing) in Battelle Grande Feb. 28, and XPC Powerlifting at Veterans Memorial March 2-3.

The 2013 Arnold Fitness EXPO will again feature 700 booths of the latest in sports equipment, apparel and nutrition and a stage that hosts unique, non-stop competitions and entertainment that combine to make the Arnold Fitness EXPO the heart of the Arnold Sports Festival. Many Arnold Sports Festival participants are youth competing in events such as archery, boxing, cheerleading, dance, fencing, gymnastics, martial arts and table tennis. The top student-athletes compete for ten $2,000 college scholarships presented annually by the Columbus Rotary and the Arnold Sports Festival.

â€œA Daily EXPO ticket affords a great entertainment value and allows our attendees to experience a great variety of sports and events,â€ co-promoter Jim Lorimer said. â€œWe are very proud to provide the opportunity for athletes, a majority of them youth, to compete at the largest multi-sport festival in the U.S.â€

TICKET INFO:A Daily EXPO tickets include admission to the following events:

VIP Ticket Packages and individual event tickets are available through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com/arnold or 800-745-3000. Daily EXPO tickets are available for $10 in advance (plus service charge) or $15 at the door of all Arnold Sports Festival venues. Children 10 and under free.

The 2012 Arnold Sports Festival has arrive and we’re in Columbus, Ohio covering the epic fitness event. Things get started today and will be going non-stop until the end of Sunday. Lots of amazing athletes of various disciplines will be competing this weekend. While we’ll primarily be focused on the women’s events you can follow all the action here.